


That’s Exactly the Kind of Weird I Fell in Love With

by Dopredo



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Crushes, Drunk Merlin (Merlin), F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Friendship, Funny, Knights - Freeform, Love, Magic, Original Character(s), Romantic Comedy, Sweet Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Sweet Merlin (Merlin), Swords & Sorcery, Understanding, Unrealised love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-04 07:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18338864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dopredo/pseuds/Dopredo
Summary: Set in a universe where Arthur didn’t die. This was my take on what I thought would happen.I thought it was about time Merlin had a love interest…





	1. Shallow Waters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [luluinuk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/luluinuk/gifts).



> This story is for my wonderfully kind, talented and hilarious friend luluinuk who has made my life better in a million different ways. Thank you so much for being my friend and keep on being the incredible person you are. x

Warm tears flooded his face as he fell to the ground before his friend. The indifferent air was callous, and his fingers quivered from when he had pushed the King into the lake of Avalon, only to be saddened by the truth. ‘You can’t be dead!’ he screamed, ‘you can’t be dead…’ A moment passed and Merlin lowered his head, sobbing into Arthur’s chest. And then he heard a sound. At first he couldn’t work out what it was; his mind was confused as the sound wasn’t like anything he heard on a regular basis. But soon the throaty growls of laughter became wholly apparent, because it was utterly out-of-place, and nothing else could possibly ever sound like it. Slowly, Merlin turned his head to cast the dragon an audacious glare. 

Deep cackles of laughter erupted from Kilgharrah’s throat, and he scratched his foot across the ground hysterically. Merlin was baffled. At a time like this, how was it possible for his friend to be so outrageously cold? ‘Is this all a joke to you?’ Merlin exclaimed, barely managing more than a croak after his many minutes of sobbing. The dragon kept laughing, barely acknowledging Merlin’s statement.

Merlin’s face went red with anger, and it took him more than a few moments to understand. When he finally did, it was because he had heard a sound so ridiculous and so beautiful that it made his heart fight to break free from his chest. Kilgharrah’s laugh had been joined by another. Behind him – heaving with laughter as though the scene was the funniest thing he’d ever witnessed – Arthur pushed himself from the floor.

‘Oh Merlin, I can’t believe you fell for that,’ he croaked.

‘What?’ Merlin gasped, his eyes flooding with relief and then quickly being replaced with a bitter scowl. ‘I thought you were dead.’ He growled indignantly.

He pushed himself away from Arthur and then changed his mind and pounced. ‘How could you do that to me?’ he screeched, pinning Arthur to the ground whilst clumsily trying to slap him. Arthur, who was taking the abuse only to appease Merlin, rolled his eyes and pushed Merlin off him with little effort. Merlin looked at him ferociously for a few seconds and then, quite unanimously, their eyes glinted and they both broke into hysterical grins of equal volume.

Arthur reached out and engulfed Merlin in a hug.

‘I can’t believe you’re alive,’ Merlin half-sobbed and half-grinned. ‘I can’t believe you pretended to be dead for that long!’ His voice became more serious. ‘Why did you do that?’

‘I’m really sorry,’ Arthur sighed, his grin fading for a second. ‘I needed to be sure.’

‘Be sure of what?’ Merlin examined him sceptically. 

‘How you would react… if I died.’ Arthur looked at the ground, clearly ashamed of his actions. He shuffled from the ground onto his knees and picked a bright, lilac flower from the marshy ground. ‘It was the only way for sure I could know that you could be trusted.’

Merlin felt a pang of betrayal, and examined the mud, feeling slightly wounded. Of course he could trust him. Being a sorcerer meant nothing in comparison to the amount of times he’d saved his life. The amount of times he had saved his life with magic.

‘So are you going to execute me,’ Merlin tested.

Arthur thought for a moment, wondering how to respond. Then he sighed. He stood up from the ground, and motioned for Merlin to stay put. A flurry of concern bubbled through him as a million flustered thoughts simmered through his skull. But one thought boiled at the surface, taking control of his mind.

_Arthur is about to execute me._

Arthur drew his sword from his holster, wearing a sincere look that was almost unreadable, and inhaled slowly.

‘Arthur—’

He shook his head and stepped, with intent, towards Merlin, who was kneeling on the ground, wearing an expression of utter panic. What should he do? Should he fight? Merlin could never do that… Surely Arthur knew he could take him on with just a flick of his fingers.

As he pointed his sword towards him, Merlin winced and braced himself for the pain. Feeling nothing, he opened one eye slowly; trying to gage what was going on. He felt a blade (the flat side) tap his shoulder and looked up at Arthur in shock.

‘What are you—’

Arthur’s eyes twinkled softly as he moved the blade to the other shoulder.

‘Rise, Sir Merlin, Knight of Camelot.’

Merlin kept eye contact with his friend and moved away from the floor. For perhaps the first time in his life he was speechless. Arthur laughed, kindly. 

‘Merlin, you’re the bravest man I’ve ever met… And I think we’ve clarified that you can defend yourself.’ Merlin looked at the ground, taking in everything that had happened in the past few minutes. Arthur, sensing his hesitation, patted him firmly on the shoulder and smiled. ‘You deserve this.’

 

* * *

* * *

 

It took a few days to get back to Camelot, but in many ways Arthur and Merlin were glad to have the time. There was going to be a lot to explain when they got home, and frankly, neither Merlin nor Arthur had the energy. 

‘So, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get back home?’ Arthur teased, ‘after all, you’re a knight now… You can get all sorts of special treatment.’

‘What, like not having to do your dirty laundry?’ Merlin grinned. He was joking, but really he was just trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt about his new status. Somehow ‘Sir Merlin’ didn’t fit him, and being a knight had never been something to even cross his mind. It was strange, because he had made sure all of his friends had gained the status, but had never sought it out himself - perhaps because they had never made him feel like an outsider.

‘Oh no, you’re still going to do my laundry. It’s going to be weeks before I can find another manservant. Let’s just hope they’re better than you this time!’ Merlin smiled broadly, but both men fell silent as they swallowed the melancholy feeling that overcame them with the word ‘manservant’. Merlin’s job had been what had brought them together. Throughout all of the years, that job had been what had made them a team, kept them alive. But now things were going to change.

The pair remained silent for a few minutes, until Arthur coughed nervously.

‘So, are you sure it’s safe to leave that dragon roaming free…?’ he trailed off, seeing Merlin’s slight, cheeky smile and not wanting to look like a coward.

‘Kilgharrah will be ok. He’s old now anyway…’ Merlin looked away, hiding the mourning that was obvious on his face. He was sure when he watched Kilgharrah fly into the distance that it would be the last time he would see him. At least he had only lost one friend today.

‘How can you be sure?’

‘Because I can… I’ve known Kilgharrah for years and, even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t try to cross me.’ 

‘What does that mean? Merlin, no offence, but that dragon is huge. I don’t think anything could take it on except…’ he thought for a second, but shrugged it off when he couldn’t think of anything powerful enough.

‘Except a dragon lord.’ Merlin said matter-of-factly. He kicked his horse and rode off into the woods, not saying anything more about it. Arthur was left feeling more bewildered than ever.

‘Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about yourself?’ he yelled after him.

 

* * *

* * *

 

By the time Arthur and Merlin arrived home, both of them were quite a sight to see: famished, exhausted and covered in dirt from head-to-toe.

In fact, they were both so unrecognisable that, when they rode through the gates, no one sounded the bell or did anything at all to welcome them. It took Arthur to yell – loud enough that everyone in Camelot could hear – Guinevere’s name up the stone steps before anything happened at all. Seeing the commotion, one of the guards recognised Arthur, and suddenly there was noise everywhere. Bells were sounding and children were squealing at the sight of their victorious king. But that wasn’t even the best part.

Overwhelmed with a confused mix of tears and excitement, Gwen came rushing down the stairs, desperately trying not to trip on her (she had complained about it earlier) overly-long dress. She threw herself into Arthur’s arms, and hung there for a second, before untangling her arms and wrapping them around Merlin.

‘I thought you were dead,’ she told Arthur, a wave of sadness passing over her face.

‘Well, I almost was, if it wasn’t for Sir Merlin here.’

Gwen laughed and then frowned curiously as she noticed the ‘Sir’. Merlin, blushing, looked at Arthur knowingly, who grinned in response and whispered to Gwen that all would be explained. In the corner of Merlin’s eye, searching the market for herbs, Merlin noticed an old, dreary-looking man. Gaius’ eyes were sunken from worry, and he hadn’t yet noticed Merlin and Arthur’s appearance. Without hesitation, Merlin sprinted towards him, dodging people and carts as he went.

He encircled him in an affectionate bear-hug. ‘Gaius!’ he exclaimed. Gaius dropped what he was holding and returned the embrace.

‘Oh Merlin. You saved him!’ There was a hint of surprise in his voice and, as he released himself from the hug, the corner of Merlin’s mouth turned up slightly in a smile.

‘Did you ever doubt me?’ he grinned.

‘Well…’ Gaius raised his eyebrows and looked over to where Arthur stood. ‘I had every right. The last time I saw that man, he was on the brink of death.’

‘Yeah, the lake of Avalon sure does wonders… You should go there – smooth out some wrinkles.’ At that, Gaius batted him round the head, and Merlin grinned. Gaius paused for a second, thinking.

‘You know,’ he said grudgingly, ‘I might just consider it.’


	2. Reya

Reya knocked tentatively on the stiff, oak door that led to Merlin’s quarters. When she heard no response, she pushed the door with her fingertips and it creaked open slowly. From inside the room, there was an almighty crash, followed quickly by a grunt. Hearing the commotion, Reya threw open the door and bolted inside.

‘Are you ok—’ she called, stopping in her tracks as she was confronted by the bizarre (but for him not so uncommon) image of Merlin kneeling on the floor, a bucket covering the entirety of his head. He peeked up at her from under it and Reya laughed. ‘Should I even ask what I just witnessed?’ she sighed, rolling her eyes and placing her washing on the ground. Merlin groaned and rolled his head back.

‘I was trying to clean the top shelves and then… the bucket fell on my head.’ He grumbled grumpily and Reya rolled her eyes.

‘Merlin. What did I tell you about doing my job for me?’

Merlin smiled at the ground. ‘Oh come on,’ he puffed, ‘it’s not exactly doing your job for you… it was just a bit of… spring cleaning.’

‘That’s also part of my job!’ She exploded, dumping her washing basket on the floor and casting Merlin an exasperated eye-roll. Merlin groaned and looked at her pleadingly. ‘You’re a knight now, Merlin,’ she sighed. 

‘Yeah, but I didn’t ask to be,’ he grumbled. ‘Besides, whoever said knights can’t be clean?’

‘I did, when I had to clean up after them.’

Merlin pulled a face in sympathy.

‘Yep, been there too. Do you ever get the thing where you find all of their dirty underwear just piled under the—’ Reya cut him off with a warning glare and he fought to withhold a giggle.

‘We don’t talk about the piles of underwear,’ she growled, her eyes twinkling with a spark of humour. Merlin leant on the side of the bed looking at her as she picked up the laundry and proceeded to strip down the beds. Tapping his finger, Merlin fought the urge to help her, and after only thirty seconds it was too much.

He rushed towards her, ‘let me help you with that.’

Reya looked at the ground haughtily, smiling in glee that Merlin had just proved her point. When he noticed, Merlin blushed. ‘Honestly,’ he said, ‘I think I preferred just being a servant.’

 

* * *

* * *

 

It was strange really. Ever since the battle, everything had been fine. Ordinary. Dull. It wasn’t that Merlin enjoyed the danger, but ever since his new status had been put in place, he couldn’t help but feel his life had lost every hint of the excitement it had once had. Perhaps he needed to spice things up a bit.

He leant out of his room and looked either side of him, checking if the coast was clear. Seeing no one, he walked down the corridor towards Arthur’s chambers. When he got there, the door was open slightly, and he could hear singing from the inside. Was that Arthur singing? Surely it couldn’t be! Arthur would have to be _extremely_ happy to be doing something like that… Merlin poked his head around the door to check and, sure enough, there sat Arthur, singing.

‘Arthur?’ he laughed, incredulously. ‘Are you OK?’

‘What? Why wouldn’t I be OK?’ he responded, not for a second questioning Merlin’s unannounced appearance.

‘It’s just… you were singing… by choice.’

‘Oh, was I?’ Arthur frowned, distracted by something in the distance.

‘Yes, you were,’ Merlin grinned. ‘Something must have made you _really_ happy.’

‘As a matter of fact, yes it did.’ He nodded over to a bunch of bright lilac and sunset flowers in the corner and smiled. ‘I just got sent those - they're from Guinevere.’

Merlin laughed. ‘How can a bunch of flowers make you so happy?’ he teased.

Arthur looked at him as though he’d said something ridiculous.

‘It’s not the flowers, Merlin,’ he laughed, ‘it’s what it signifies. Haven’t you ever been in love?’

Merlin laughed off the last comment and then frowned deeply as he let it sink in. It took him a moment to process it, but then he realised the astounding and horrifying fact: he had never been in love.

Frantically he searched his brain for examples, and it was true, he felt he had really cared for Freya, however he didn’t feel he’d known her long enough to call it love. Could it really be possible, that after all of these years, he had never experienced love? Was this what he had been missing?

Merlin coughed awkwardly and then shuffled out of the room. Arthur, who had turned his attention to something else, noticed his strange behaviour and called after him.

‘Merlin, are you aright?’

But Merlin had gone; run in the direction of the first place he thought of: the tavern.

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

When he got there, the tavern was crowded with people. Drinks sloshed in every direction and the wails of drunken singing hung in the air alongside the arid smell of alcoholic breath. He placed himself down at the bar and put his head in his hands, still thinking about what Arthur had said. Maybe the problem was that Merlin had never gone in search for love. Maybe it was that he’d never had the time. Between one deadly mission and the next, Merlin had found that the majority of his time had been spent saving Arthur’s skin. Now all he had to show for it was Arthur himself. And Arthur had Gwen.

Merlin felt miserable. Many hours must have passed while he sat at that bar, feeling sorry for himself. People came and went, trying desperately to cheer up the man who always did the same for them, but with little success. Merlin had hit a type of rock bottom, and he feared only love could bring him back to the surface. He rested his head against the bar and closed his eyes.

Thud. That was the sound to which Merlin awoke. He pushed his head (that was still slightly dizzy from the unusual level of alcohol) away from the bar to find himself staring into the concerned face of Arthur.

‘Merlin, I’m slightly worried about you,’ he said anxiously. ‘I’ve been looking for you since our last conversation… which was this morning…’ he raised his eyebrows as Merlin slurred to the bartender to get him another beer. ‘What happened?’

‘You enlightened me.’ Merlin reached out to take a glug of another beer, but Arthur reached it before he did and moved it out of reach. He looked at him sternly and Merlin scowled. ‘Do you know when you met Gwen,’ he started, ‘you were basically still a teenager.’

Arthur shrugged. ‘Yeah, so what?’

‘Do you know how many girlfriends I’ve had in that time?’ Arthur raised an eyebrow, slowly realising where the conversation was going. ‘One.’

Arthur wasn’t expecting that answer, of course, he hadn’t known about Freya. ‘And she died within days of me meeting her. Freya was killed because of her tie to magic.’

At that, Arthur bit his lip and looked at the ground.

‘I remember her. You never told me.’

‘How could I? You would’ve had my head… a few times over with all of the things I’ve done to save your life.’ It was all coming out in his drunken state.

‘I know who you are now, Merlin. And you’re still here.’

‘That’s true.’ Merlin sighed as a wave of dizziness overcame him and he placed his head on the table. 

‘OK, let’s get you out of here,’ Arthur chuckled, pulling Merlin up from the table and swinging his arm around his back for support. Merlin didn’t struggle, but groaned heavily as he stood up and the world swung around him. ‘Come on Sir Romance; let’s get you to bed. I’m sure you’ll find love in the morning. ’

Merlin nodded in agreement.


	3. So Much To Learn

Light streamed in through the window, dancing gently on the top of Merlin’s eyes. It soothed him into wakefulness, kind of.

When Merlin woke, he could tell that something was wrong, and when he noticed the intensity of the light on his skin, he realised he must have slept in until at least midday. As he stirred, Merlin tried to make out the owners of the faint whispers in the corner of his the room, but with little success. As he sat up the murmurs got closer.

‘Merlin, you’re awake.’

It was Reya’s voice. Merlin could tell immediately, because there was something about her wispy and yet witty tone that he found fascinating. He could have listened to her talk all day had it not been for Arthur’s rude interruption.

‘It’s about time.’

Merlin yawned, too tired to try and retort with something. In fact, he would’ve been ready to drop it, had Reya not chipped in.

‘Oh, come on,’ she laughed, ‘the amount of times I’ve had to wake you up past midday on a night after a feast. I don’t think it’s any time to be judging.’ She coughed awkwardly when she remembered who she was talking to. ‘Sire.’

Arthur stared at her ferociously and then, with the gratification of seeing her unnerved reaction, grinned.

‘Haha, yes but this is _Merlin_. He probably only needed about two beers before he was drunk!’

This time the pair laughed at him together, and Merlin huffed.

‘It was two-and-a-half, _actually_.’

This brought on another explosion of giggles from Reya.

‘Merlin. Even _I_ can hold two-and-a-half beers. And I’m half your size.’

Arthur snorted and then reflected on what she had said.

‘Wait… can you really hold two-and-a-half beers?’

Reya just smiled in response and demitted herself from the situation. Awkwardly, Merlin waved goodbye, but Reya never turned around to see it. Once she had furthered enough distance, Arthur lent on the side of the bed and chuckled. 

He pointed to the exit she had just left by, ‘she’s a funny one.’ Merlin nodded.

‘Yeah… she’s a bit odd.’ He looked into the distance, thinking about her affectionately. ‘But she’s great… like, really great.’

Arthur withdrew from talking and it took Merlin a few moments to notice that he was grinning.

‘You know what I love about you Merlin?’ he laughed. ‘For someone so wise, you really are _so_ dumb. Here you are getting depressed about how you’ve never found love. But you’re completely blind to it when it throws the curtains open right in your face!’

Frowning questioningly, Merlin tried to grasp the curtain metaphor. Arthur rolled his eyes and motioned enthusiastically towards the door.

‘Wait, Reya?’ he responded in shock. ‘No…’ he drew out the word. ‘That’s just a friendship. We just talk about how much your washing smells.’

Arthur raised his eyebrows but realised there was no use denying it. 

‘Yeah… it does really smell. I’m glad I don’t have to wash it. But that aside, what do you talk about?’

‘I suppose… we talk about where we came from; what we want to do. Reya’s a musician, and a really good one at that. You should hear her singing – it’s like nothing of this world…’ Merlin’s face fell. ‘She told me about how her brother died during one of Kilgharrah’s raids. She had to watch it happen…’

Sullenly, Arthur nodded.

‘It seems like you have more to talk about than you thought. If you’ve managed to find out all that about her.’ 

Merlin smiled and heaved himself from the bed.

‘I mean it helps that you and Gwen used to constantly give us jobs together… If you’re trying to be subtle, it’s not working. Anyway, she doesn’t like me that way. I mean, otherwise she would’ve said something, right?’

Arthur shook his head wistfully and helped Merlin up.

‘Oh Merlin,’ he said, ‘you’ve got so much to learn.’


	4. Chapter 4

‘Merlin, what is it?’ Reya analysed him carefully and Merlin’s eyes widened as he feared his face would reveal some, supposedly restrained, information.

‘Nothing,’ he tried to say casually.

‘Oh, come on,’ she wined, ‘you know I hate it when you keep secrets from me. And it’s so obvious it’s basically written across your face.’

‘Reya, it’s nothing. Just something Arthur said.’

‘Which was…?’

Merlin shook his head gleefully. ‘I’m not telling you! What are you meant to be doing anyway.’ She scowled at him and then nodded to the bucket in the corner, which of course, Merlin had already used.

‘You know exactly what I was meant to be doing, because you did it for me.’

Merlin shrugged. ‘If it means I get a conversation with you, washing the floors is a fine penance.’

‘Well, it doesn’t,’ she grumbled. ‘Now I’ve got to do Arthur’s.’

Merlin groaned, ‘come on, really? Isn’t there someone else to do that?’

‘There should be.’ She turned towards the door and Merlin grabbed her hand to stop her. Reya wheeled around, ready to snap, but instead found herself gazing into his deep-sea eyes that were locked on her’s. She tried to keep a straight face, but when Merlin’s eyes twinkled with a smile, she couldn’t stop her lips from twitching upwards slightly. ‘Junior’s at that feast with Arthur.’ Merlin’s eyes flickered with confusion and Reya sighed. ‘You now, the one _you_ were invited to… but you didn’t go because you had important errands to run?’ Merlin’s face wavered in acknowledgement. 

‘ _Actually_ , my exact words were ‘there is nothing I can think of that would have any less of an impact on my life, so no thank you.’

Reya giggled, ‘yes well, you weren’t particularly discrete in your response. But I think Arthur found it humorous… I know you say you don’t like to take part in _knightly_ activities... he’s only trying to be nice. He’s probably just worried you’re jealous of Junior.’

‘What! No way! _Blakely_ is merely his manservant. I’m not jealous of him!’

Reya chewed on her bottom lip to try and supress a smile. She wanted to say that his response only proved that she was right, but she felt it would be best to be sensitive. 

‘No one really likes Junior anyway… he’s only called that because he’s your predecessor.’ Reya wrinkled her nose as she thought of the snivvelly, arrogant boy who was now Arthur’s manservant. ‘Between you and me, I think Arthur purposefully chose someone he didn’t like, just to prove to you that you weren’t being replaced.’ At that Merlin’s eyes glinted. ‘Merlin… Arthur’s making an effort with you. I think you should make more of one back.’

Merlin pouted, not wanting to admit that she was right, and then brushed the comment away completely. 

‘Well… we can start by cleaning his floor.’

As they walked towards Arthur’s chambers, Merlin wondered how he should phrase it. Truthfully, he was extremely nervous about asking Reya on a date, and had no idea how she would react, but ever since Arthur had said what he had, it was all he could think about. Even once they reached Arthur’s chambers, it took over half an hour (at which point they had cleaned approximately nine tenths of the floor) before he even had the courage to approach the topic.

‘Reya… umm… I was thinking…’

Reya let out a distracted ‘hmm’ and continued scrubbing away at the most recent stain on Arthur’s well-trodden floor.

‘Well I was just wondering whether, if you wanted to and you know, you have no plans or if you just want to… um we could…’

Reya turned her head and looked at him, eyebrow raised. ‘Yes…?’ 

Merlin coughed and scratched his head – his typical movement suited to any uncomfortable situation. He assumed Reya had seen straight through his awkwardness, after all, she saw through everything else. In reality, she had no more than an inkling that Merlin was asking about anything more than a drink between friends. She turned around and exhaled dramatically, ‘Merlin do you want to go to the tavern?’

Merlin grinned, saved by what he assumed was Reya’s lack of awkwardness (but was really a lack of understanding).

‘Yes, thank you,’ he blushed, ‘I would love that.’

‘You know, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I know Arthur is always teasing you about this.’

‘Wait, what? Teasing me about what?’ Merlin choked, surprised how upfront Reya was being. Did she already know how he felt about her? Did she feel the same?

‘How much you love the tavern,’ she frowned, narrowing her eyes. ‘What did you think I was talking about?’ A flash of recognition skimmed across her face as she noticed Merlin’s dejected reaction, but she quickly dismissed it as a joke. ‘If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought you were asking me out on a date!’

Merlin’s eyes widened and he tripped over something invisible. He fought to regain balance by propping himself against the bed, but even then he couldn’t stop his words from faltering. ‘Haha no, of course not,’ he lied, ‘that would be ridiculous… you and me on a date,’ he scoffed. Reya looked a tad hurt, but hid it well. Showing she was hurt would show him how she felt, and she could never let that happen. Instead, she chose to use words to make Merlin feel bad in exactly the way she knew affected him most. Guilt.

‘Well, I’m glad you think dating me would be _so awful_ ,’ she retorted. She cast him a scowl, picked up her bucket and stormed out of the room. It happened so quickly Merlin was left wondering what he had done. He scratched his head.

‘I think that could have gone better.’


	5. What? Where? Why?

Despite her irritation towards Merlin’s insensitivity, Reya wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity for a drink. She’d had a long week of work, and this was about the only chance she was going to get to relax. Her fingertips fumbled with the doorknob, and the creaky door opened with a squeak.

It took no longer than a second for Reya to realise that something was wrong. The tavern, usually full-to-the-brim with people and drinks, was eerily silent; the tavern-owner stood alone behind the bar, drying pint glasses with a towel. When he saw her, his face fell. 

‘What happened?’ Reya asked.

‘You don’t know?’ The man looked at the glass in his hand, his eyes filled with sorrow. ‘I’m really sorry. It’s horrible for you to find out this way.’

‘Find out what?’

The bartender sighed. ‘It’s Sir Merlin, Miss. He was in here, only an hour before yourself, when… they came for him.’

‘Who? Who came for him?’ the worry in her voice was unmistakable, but there was also an undertone of impatience.

‘Fanatics, Miss.’ Reya was confused, and that must have been evident on her face as the bartender elaborated. ‘A group of men who flourished under Uther’s rule. They still believe sorcery should be band.’

‘Where did they take him?’ she growled. The man hesitated, unnerved slightly by the tone to her voice. In desperation, Reya’s voice cracked. ‘Please.’

Reya was out of there before anyone could stop her. She sprinted towards the castle, bounded up the stairs and crashed into the throne room. Fifty guests’ eyes were trained on her, but she didn’t care. She looked at Arthur steadily.

‘Merlin’s been taken.’

Arthur had left his seat before anyone else knew what was going on. As he ran towards Reya, he shouted orders to the men around him, and they scurried off to fulfil his wishes. 

‘Do you know where to find him,’ he said, leading Reya towards the exit of the room. The barkeeper had told her of a place, but it took a few moments for her to form the words.

‘Yes… yes… the barkeeper said something about Wryland Forest.’

‘Did he say where?’

‘Yes. There’s a place,’ Reya panted, struggling to keep up with Arthur’s fast-pace. ‘There’s a place, right at the edge. The people who returned a few years back spoke of a town that was ruined in one of your father’s attacks. Now they use it as a base.’ 

‘Who are _they_? What are we dealing with?’

‘They’re the group we’ve been tracking for a while. They want to rid Camelot of magic. That’s why they went after Merlin.’

‘So they know what they’re up against. Damn it!’ Arthur ran his fingers though his hair. ‘If they’re smart, they will have knocked Merlin out.’

‘They must have, otherwise he would have escaped by now. If he’s vulnerable it gives them an advantage. He can’t fight back, and we can’t fight them without them using Merlin against us.’

‘Either that, or they just wanted him...’ Arthur trailed off, leaving Reya to speak the word that neither wanted to.

‘Dead.’ She gritted her teeth. ‘What do we do?’

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

It took two days to find the desolate town; what looked as though it had once been filled with vibrancy and life, now had fallen to ruin. Windows and doors, mangled with ivy, had been ripped from their hinges, and lay defeated on the ground. The – once beautiful – town square, still lined with rows of market stalls, was deserted, and the putrid, sickly odour of decaying flesh festered in the air.

Arthur and Reya’s footsteps echoed on the cracking, weed-stricken tiles as they dismounted and began to tiptoe towards the centre. It seemed that, the closer they got to the castle, the more prominent the smell of death became. Neither worded it, but the prominent thought on both of their minds was of that smell: _what if it was coming from Merlin’s corpse?_

Sullenly, they climbed the stairs. Floor by floor, corridor by corridor, they saw no one. It was almost a relief when Arthur found himself face-to-face with, perhaps, the largest soldier he had ever seen; a seven-foot giant with legs the size of pillars and arms the size of tree trunks.

‘Ah well,’ Arthur grumbled, ‘at least we know we’re in the right place.’ 

The soldier motioned for Arthur and Reya to follow him, and at the end of the corridor, a door was thrown open, revealing an expansive, but deteriorating throne room. Reya narrowed her eyes.

‘Arthur, everything about this is way too thought-out,’ she whispered. ‘They must have known we were coming.’

Arthur nodded his head. ‘Yeah, I know. But that’s good. That means that Merlin is still alive.’

They were quick to discover he was right. As they entered the throne room, Reya noticed something that wasn’t obvious from a far distance. She nudged Arthur and pointed upwards. For there, swinging twenty metres above their heads was a thick, metal cage, and inside it was Merlin. 


	6. Chapter 6

Once the guards had them cornered, there was no chance. It was ten to two and, although she’d brought one, Reya had no idea how to use a sword. Their options had been vastly limited: surrender or lose their lives. Reya wished they had opted for the second. It would have been much faster. She put her hands over her ears, and propped herself up against the wall. Now, for the sixth night-in-a-row, she had to listen to Arthur’s screams; being tortured mercilessly for a reason only Arthur had cast light on. 

And there was still no hope of saving Merlin. When they had been captured, Reya had tailored her plan around the idea that she would be near him– hanging in a neighbouring cage, or held prisoner in the throne room. But Turus – the leader of the gang who had captured them – was much too clever for that, and must have known that any plan Reya could have formulated in the moments she’d had would have relied upon her being able to release Merlin. Now, where he had chosen to place her – the dungeons – Merlin’s cage was practically unattainable. It made her wonder if the whole thing had been a game: the vile smell in the courtyard, the lack of guards. Perhaps Turus had made them walk to the top of the tower, just to make fools of their impulsivity.

In the moments between tortures, Arthur had described him to her, Turus. He had known him well at the time of his nobility; he had been a knight in Uther’s army, trusted for his radical loathing of magic and violent discourse. If someone in Camelot had broken the rules, Turus was the last person they wanted to find themselves facing. 2However, when Arthur was crowned, it wasn’t long before the rules became too ‘flexible’ for him, and he left Camelot in pursuit of, what he called, more noble values. The more distance he had placed between himself and Camelot, the more he had hated Arthur, and everything he had changed about society. That was why, when rumour set-loose that Arthur had removed the ban on sorcery it was enough to make him take action. Either Arthur was going to change what he had done, or he was going to pay for it with his life. The use of the famous Merlin had only been the sweet topping to his plan – after all, killing the most powerful sorcerer in existence, who happened to be Arthur’s best friend was a satisfying use of recourses. If Merlin was awake, Reya was sure he would have been flattered.

Reya curled up in the corner of the cell and tried to block out Arthur’s screams. _There has to be a way out of here_ , she thought, scanning her brain for any part of a solution. And then it came to her.

She patted down her pocket and, sure enough, she found what she was looking for. A small hair-pin, decorated at the back with a bright orange gemstone. It had been Merlin’s birthday present to her, and he had promised it was more than it had seemed. Reya smiled as she remembered how he had led her towards Arthur’s (supposedly secure) cupboard, placed the gem on the lock and waited for the satisfying clunk.

‘This is more than just a pretty accessory,’ he had said. ‘If you’re ever somewhere you don’t want to be, this could save your life. Promise me you’ll keep it with you?’

And she had.

Reya inclined her head a few inches to the right, analysing the silence. If she was correct, they had finished torturing Arthur for the day, and a guard would be escorting him back to his cell. The cell that was right next to hers. It just so happened that this was the only time of day where there was only one guard on watch.

She thought for a second, playing the scenario in her mind. Arthur was going to be weak, but not as weak as he would be if she waited another day. She heard footsteps down the corridor and pounced towards the door. It was now or never.

As Arthur and his guard walked into her line of sight, Reya placed the hair-pin over the door, and the lock clicked open. She winked at Arthur and waited for just the right moment, when the guard was right in front of her. Bam! The guard collapsed to the ground, and was held there by Arthur who finished him off with a kick to unconsciousness. He attempted a grin. 

‘Nice one,’ he croaked, ‘but couldn’t you have done that a bit earlier?’

Reya was about to reply, but fell-short when she heard more guards approaching.

‘We need to get to Merlin.’ She nodded towards the guard, ‘take his sword,’ she ordered, ‘I feel like we’re going to run into trouble.’

‘Yes ma’am,’ Arthur smiled amusedly, no longer surprised by his servants giving him orders. ‘You lead the way.’

Reya sprinted towards the stairs, and flew up them as though she had wings. Adrenaline bubbled through her veins like a drug, as she refused to let tiredness sink in. With every ache of a muscle, or wave of exhaustion, she just had to imagine Merlin in trouble and another burst of energy would surge through her.

By now the guards would know they had escaped, and would be readying Merlin as bait. That was all part of her plan. Turus’ men would have to integrate him if they were going to kill him in front of them and, apart from all of the people trying to kill him (she was still working on that part) that made Merlin more accessible.

Like a bull, she hurled herself at the throne-room door, and tumbled into the room, tripping Arthur up in the process. As she had thought, Turus was waiting for them, knife glued to Merlin’s throat. Arthur gasped – Reya wondered what he’d been expecting all this time. After all, they were running up to the throne room for a reason.

‘Hello,’ Turus growled. He smiled down at Merlin, who, unconscious, looked utterly disconnected from the world. ‘Is this what you’re looking for?’

 

* * *

* * *

 

Reya had known Merlin for a long time and, unlike Arthur, didn’t jump into things. But since Arthur did, it gave her more time to think. As Arthur was poetically trying to get Merlin back, Reya was thinking about Merlin’s side.

Merlin was clever. He had been in that cage for days and so, at moments, they must have had to re-dose him with whatever drug they were giving him. If the drug was something like Gapewart, and he wasn’t being treated by a skilled physician, it could give him an extra five minutes of clear thinking space every time he was re-dosed, which would be around every two days. It had taken them two days to travel, and they’d been imprisoned for six. Eight days. That gave him, at best, forty minutes. Surely that was enough time for Merlin to have outwitted the system.

Merlin’s mouth twitched.

He was awake. So what was he waiting for? Reya scanned the room, and then it came to her. If he had been taking the medicine continuously, his consciousness might be back, but not necessarily his movement. Could he use magic? If he could, was he waiting for them to get closer so he could use it in safety? That was the only plausible explanation.

Reya edged towards Turus, and Arthur followed, too deep in his emotional speech for his mimicking of the movement even to cross his mind.

‘…Merlin has never done any harm to you, he is just a man like you or I.’

‘But he isn’t _just_ a man, is he? He’s a sorcerer. A creature of magic. A whole different _species_.’

Merlin’s hand compressed into a ball.

‘Any species has the capacity for good and evil,’ Reya added quickly, hoping Turus hadn’t noticed Merlin’s movement.

He flexed his fingers.

‘Oh dear, don’t tell me you really believe that.’

Merlin’s eyes opened. ‘Well you should,’ he growled. His eyes glowed amber and Turus flew back against the wall. Guards approached from every angle, coming close before quickly meeting a similar fate to Turus. Reya and Arthur watched on in awe. After a few moments, Arthur spoke.

‘Should we go and help him now?’ Arthur smiled, still fixated on Merlin.

‘Yeah, that might be good.’

Merlin’s legs buckled as he threw off the last guard. Arthur and Reya were at his side in seconds. He looked at Reya and smiled.

‘You saved me.’

Reya grinned and delicately placed her hand on his shoulder.

‘I would never have managed it without you.’ She pulled the clip out of her pocket. ‘And this.’

Merlin smiled. ‘I always knew that would come in handy.’

Arthur coughed, jealously, interrupting the moment. ‘I mean, I helped just a little bit,’ he huffed sarcastically. Reya and Merlin shared a comical look and Arthur grinned.

‘Come on, let’s just get out of here.’ He pulled Merlin to his feet and balanced him on their shoulders – two people of considerably different sizes. From outside the room a trumpet sounded, signifying the attack of the rest of the guards.

Merlin grimaced. ‘Well, this is going to be fun.’


	7. What I Love About You

The world around Merlin faded into focus, and it became evident that he was in his chambers. For the first time in days he felt clear-headed, and ready to work. His capture had reminded him of all the dangers Camelot still faced, and all of the things he could do to help. But there was something he needed to do first.

He neatened up his hair, changed his clothes and strode out of his chambers towards Reya’s house in the lower town. Marching towards her door, he knocked with confidence. Then he shrivelled into himself. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she was going to turn him down. He exhaled firmly and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. As the door opened, and Reya stepped out, he realised again how beautiful she was – the way her shoulder-length curls wriggled as she talked, the way she picked at her dress when she was anxious, and above all, how her serious eyes always glinted with a twinkle of humour.

‘Reya.’ Merlin ran his fingers through his hair in the way she loved. ‘Do you want to go out for a drink with me? Like…’ he coughed, ‘a date.’ 

Reya paused, and her face crinkled into an unreadable frown. But then she broke into a grin, and Merlin’s anticipation ceased. ‘It’s about time,’ she laughed. ‘Yes, I would love that… although I’m assuming you mean later. You realise it’s like six in the morning.’

‘Oh. Yes.’ Merlin pulled a face. ‘I couldn’t wait – I was scared I would be too scared…’ Reya rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, it does sound kind of weird when you put it like that.’

‘You know,’ she smiled, ‘that’s exactly the kind of weird I fell in love with.’


End file.
